Repairing stains, holes and cracks in the interior of the wall

Not every wall is evenly covered with fine plaster and completely smooth. There are often holes where pictures used to be. Sometimes walls also have cracks or there are stains of indefinable origin that are difficult to remove. Sometimes the plaster is crumbly or sandy. In all these cases, a wall must first be prepared for a coat of paint. You can find out how to proceed in this blog.

Table of content

1. Before and After pictures from our community
2. Preparing for the repair: cleaning the wall
3. What types of wall damage are there?
4. Repairing damage to the wall with filler
5. Preparing difficult walls for painting
6. Repairing walls: Special challenges
7. Wall repair: Further tips

painting "difficult" walls: Before and After pictures from our community

Painting old walls can of course take more time than adding colour to a new build - but it's worth it! Here are some examples from our customers. Take courage, you too can repair holes and cracks in the wall!

Preparing for the repair: cleaning the wall

We want to make sure that the plaster base is even, clean and stable and that there are no loose pieces of plaster on the wall. Therefore, you must first remove all wallpaper and adhesive residue. Some walls are also simply dirty, so it may be a good idea to wipe them down first with MissPompadour To Clean and water. Then let the wall dry thoroughly. For dry cleaning, simply use a hoover or a clean cloth

What types of wall damage are there?

If you want to repair a wall, it is first important to check it for all possible types of wall damage. If you have cracks in the wall, you need to proceed differently than with sandy plaster

Holes, cracks and crumbling areas, sandy plaster, stains

• Holes are usually caused by dowels or nails.
• Cracks can have various causes: Temperature fluctuations, construction defects, etc.
• Crumbling areas can be caused by moisture, mould or other factors.
• Crumbly, sandy plaster: This often occurs in old buildings.
• Old stains on the walls

Repair damage with filler

Firstly, you should carefully fill all unevenness, drill holes and cracks. Because no matter what you are painting, old holes, cracks and unevenness must first be filled before painting. If you want to repair holes or cracks in the inside of the wall, it is best to use MissPompadour To Fill as a filler. This filler is applied with a metal spatula and smoothed out. This creates an even, smooth surface on your walls, even if they are made of wood or concrete.

MissPompadour To Fill should be allowed to dry for 24 hours. If necessary, sand smooth afterwards. You can then either prime or paint with your wall paint. Read on here if you are also looking for a guide to cleaning and priming or painting your wall!

Preparing difficult walls for painting

It is often not enough simply to fill holes and cracks with filler. For difficult walls, you need a deep-penetrating primer such as MissPompadour To Prime Walls. It is also ideal for preparing surfaces made of stone or concrete for painting. Such difficult walls are, for example, made of plasterboard. Plasterboard walls are known to be highly absorbent. If you want to paint them, this deep-penetrating primer creates a base that saves on paint. Sandy and crumbly plaster must also be pre-treated with our To Prime Walls primer. This deep primer ensures better adhesion of your paint.

Depending on the surface, To Prime Walls is used undiluted or diluted with up to 3 parts water, and is then applied with a standard paint roller, which can afterwards be simply washed out in a bucket of warm water. The deep-penetrating primer has an extremely short drying time, so you can get started with your wall paint straight away. Furthermore, MissPompadour To Prime Walls is vapour-permeable, allowing moisture to escape from the walls at any time and creating a pleasant indoor climate.

If you have stains on the wall, e.g. from soot or grease, you should paint over these areas with MissPompadour To Bond & Block. This stain blocker prevents the stains from showing through again after painting.

Here’s what you’ll need for wall repairs:

• The filler: MissPompadour To Fill, metal filling knife with wooden handle
• The deep-penetrating primer: MissPompadour To Prime Walls, paint roller, paint tray

Repairing the wall: Special challenges

Repairing a large hole in the wall

You can't repair large holes in the wall in one go. You have to apply the filler in several layers with a putty knife and allow it to dry in between. For really large holes, however, the only solution is to re-plaster the area.

Repairing deep cracks in walls

Deep cracks are repaired by opening the crack in a V-shape with a putty knife and then applying the filler inside. You may then be able to apply fibreglass tape and fill it again. Then you have to sand the whole thing down after drying until you have a smooth surface. You can then paint.

Remove old wall plugs from the wall

Sometimes the plugs from the previous tenant or previous owner are still in the wall. If there are still plugs in the wall, you can pull them out of the holes with a screw that is only slightly screwed in. The hole is then filled like other holes.

Wall repair: Further tips

• You need good tools. You can find the right filler for your purposes in the MissPompadour online shop.
• If you have any questions, our expert customer service team is available almost around the clock by WhatsApp, email or phone.
• It's always worth investing some time and patience in the preparatory work. Because you will be rewarded with a perfect coating result